pitied me, as a poor ignorant, deluded and infatuated boy. "The neighbours ftar'd and figh'd yet blefs'd the lad, Some deem'd him wond'rous wife, fome believ'd him mad, I am, Dear Friend, DR. BEATTIE, Yours, LETTER LETTER IX. "One makes the rugged paths fo fmooth and even, "Because he fancies virtue dwells in dirt : "While all concur to take away the stress, "From weightier points, and lay it on the lefs." STILLINGFLEET on Converfation. "'Gad I've a thriving traffic in my eye. "Near the mad manfions of Moorfields I'll bawl; DEAR FRIEND, FOOTE. IN the fourth year of my ap prenticeship, my mafter died; now although he was a good husband, a good father, and a good mafter, &c. yet as he had not the methodistical faith, and could not pronounce the Shibboleth of that fect, I piously feared that he was gone to hell. My mistress thought that his death was haftened by his uneafy reflections on the bad bad behaviour of his fons, after they commenced methodists, as before they were converted each was dutiful and attended to his trade, but after they became faints they attended fo much to their fpiritual concerns that they acted as though they supposed they were to be fed and cloathed by miracles, like Mr. Huntingdon, who informs us in his book called "The Bank of Faith," that the Lord fent him a pair of breeches, that a dog brought him mutton to eat, fish died at -night in a pond on purpofe to be eaten by him in the morning; money, and in short every thing he could defire, he obtained by 'prayer. Mr. Wesley used to cure a violent pain in his head the fame way, as he relates in his Journals. Thus as Foote fays, "With labour, toil, all fecond means dispense, To give you a better idea of methodistical ignorance and neglect of ordinary means of living, &c... I will relate one. inftance more. Mary Hubbard (an old woman of Mr. Welley's fociety) would often often wash her linen, hang it out to dry, and go away to work in the fields, or to Taunton market, four miles from her house; and when blamed, fhe would anfwer "that the Lord watched over her, and all that the had, and that he would prevent any person from stealing her two old fmocks, or if he permitted them to be ftolen, he would fend her two new in their ftead." And I seriously thousand affure you, fir, that there are many Mary Hubbards amongst the methodists. As I had been bound to my mistress as well as my master, I was of course an apprentice ftill. But after my master's death I obtained more liberty of conscience (as I called it) fo that I not only went to hear the methodist fermons, but was alfo admitted into their fociety; and I believe they never had a more devout enthufiaftical member; for feveral years I regularly attended every fermon and all their private meetings. "I, like a hackney-coachman, knew As As you are probably unacquainted with the nature of these private meetings, a short account of them may perhaps afford you fome amusement. Mr. Wesley instituted amongst his people, besides the public preachings, feveral kinds of private meetings; and as the prayermeeting is the least private of any of them, I will first take notice of that. To the prayer-meetings, which were in general held in private houses, they often invited people who were not of their fociety. An hymn was first fung, then they all knelt, and the first perfon who felt a motion, made an extemporary prayer; when he had done another began, and fo on, for about two hours. "There every foul a face of forrow wears, "But holy horrors chill us all the while. YOUNG OFFICER. |